The HamWraith
by Parsec
Summary: [Warning: Rated R for graphic violence!]  A dark creature is stalking the Ham-Hams... can they stop whatever it is before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

[WARNING:  This Hamtaro fanfic is rated R for graphic violence!]

The HamWraith

By:  Mark J. Hadley

Chapter 1 

            "Dear Diary," Laura said aloud as she wrote, sitting at her desk.  "The strangest thing happened today…Kana said that when she woke up this morning, the cage where she keeps Oxnard was empty, and he wasn't anywhere to be found.  She wasn't the only one, either…a bunch of people at school were missing _their_ hamsters too.  Not me, though…Hamtaro was in his cage when I woke up, but the way I found him…I still can't figure out what happened.  I wish he could talk, so he could just tell me…the poor little guy…"

            She looked over at Hamtaro's cage, on the corner of the desk.  Hamtaro was sitting in the center of it, motionless, staring blankly forward with a sad expression.  His fur had splatters of dried blood across it…probably, Laura figured, from that wound on his right side.  How he got it, she would never know…

            Hamtaro, though, was alone in his thoughts, reflecting back over what happened the night before.  _I can't believe it, _he thought.  _I just can't…who would have thought this would happen?  It all started so normally, too…_

* * * THE NIGHT BEFORE… * * *

            "…and he slowly crept across the dark room," Oxnard said, the light from the campfire illuminating his face in an eerie orange glow.  The other Ham-Hams listened carefully to his words as he continued his story, "He reached out, and pulled open the door to the tiny pantry, very carefully…"  He paused momentarily for dramatic effect, and finished, "…and there was…_nothing_…_inside_…"

            Dexter narrowed his eyes a little and said, "Oh, come on, _that's_ not scary!"

            "Yes it is!" Oxnard insisted, clutching his sunflower seed tighter.  "An empty pantry means _no food!_"

            Sitting up, Hamtaro commented, "Dexter's right.  If that happened to me, I'd be a little worried, but not _scared_."  He smiled…this was a nice little late night campfire they were having outside the clubhouse, but so far, no one had managed to come up with a scary campfire story to tell.  Hamtaro looked over at Boss, and asked, "Hey, I'm sure _you _know some good scary stories, right?"

            Boss pondered for a moment, tapping his paw thoughtfully on the handle of his shovel, which was still by his side as always.  "Hmm…well, I _do_ know one story, but…nahh, it's too scary for you guys…"  He closed his eyes and folded his arms firmly, as though refusing to tell.

            Everyone around the campfire sat forward and said in unison, "What?  C'mon, tell us!"

            Boss opened one eye to look at them, and grinned to himself, thinking, _Heh…this is just too easy…_  He started speaking, "Well, my story is about a monster, called the HamWraith, who was said to live in this area a long time ago…"  A gasp went around from all the Ham-Hams, and he continued, "That's right…they even saw him a few times in those bushes, right over there…"  He pointed at the large bushes nearby, and everyone turned to look.

            "W-was he s-scary looking?" Oxnard said, shaking a little.

            "Was he _scary_ looking?!" Boss repeated, hopping to his feet, and waving his shovel in the air.  "Why, he was a _gigantic_ Ham-Ham…twice as tall as me, with thick, spiky fur, horrible yellow eyes, and _huge_ claws…claws that could tear through _anything_, even metal bars, which is why they could never catch him…"

            Sandy kept glancing over at the bushes Boss had pointed to, and said, "That is, like, sooo creepy…he _totally_ sounds like a _monster_…"

            Boss lowered himself down so that he was face-to-face with Sandy, and exclaimed, "He _was _a monster!  And every night, he'd head out, and chase after unsuspecting Ham-Hams that walked by here."  Narrowing his eyes and glancing around slowly, he added, "…some say he's still lurking about, even to this day…"

            Everyone huddled together at Boss' last statement.  Dexter clutched onto Pashmina's left arm and said, "Don't worry!  If that HamWraith shows up, I'll protect you…"

            On her other side, Howdy grabbed her right arm and said, "Hey, now, _I_ can do a better job protecting her than _you!_"

            "Oh _really_…" Dexter exclaimed, frowning at him, "…what would _you_ do, sweep up after the monster?"

            Howdy got up face-to-face with him, staring into his glasses, and shouted, "And I suppose _you'd_ do more than make a _spectacle_ of yourself?"

            As the two continued to argue, Bijou leaned over next to Hamtaro and said, "If ze HamWraith comes after me, you'll save me, _non_?"

            Before he could answer, though, Boss appeared next to Bijou and said, "You can count on _me_ any day!  I'll give that nasty monster a _good_ fight!"  He swung his shovel a few times in the air, and then leaned on it, smiling.

            "Well," Hamtaro finally said.  "I'd do my best, I can promise _that_."

            Bijou smiled happily at Hamtaro, and Boss just sighed, returning back to his edge of the campfire.  Pashmina noticed Penelope looking a little disturbed, so she spoke up, "Well, this was fun, but we should get to sleep now.  If we _can_ sleep, what with all this monster talk…"

            Penelope nodded, "Ookyoo…"

            "I thought it was a _great_ story," Cappy said.  "Almost scared me out of my cap!"  He got up just the same, though, and giving his hat a little tug to make sure it was secure, he started off from the campfire, heading back for the clubhouse.  Everyone else took that as their cue to head off in their respective directions as well.  Hamtaro noticed that Snoozer was still asleep—although he wasn't surprised in the least—and carefully started dragging him, sock and all, off back to the clubhouse as well.

            Bijou started off down the row of bushes, heading in the direction of home.  Everyone else had cleared away by this time, except for Stan, who hurried up until he was walking alongside of Bijou.  He said, "Hey, so how's it going, Bijou?"

            "I am doing good!" Bijou replied happily.  "Zis is a lovely night…"

            "Not _half_ as lovely as _you_, though," Stan pointed out, grinning.

            Bijou giggled, "Zat's sweet of you, but…aren't you afraid to be walking out here?  After ze story Boss told us?"

            "No way!" Stan said confidently.  "There's no HamWraith…and even if there is, you're safe as long as _I'm _here!  _I'm_ not afraid of any monster!"

            "I guess you're right," she said, glancing back at the bushes, and laughed a little, "Just a silly story anyway.  But I _am _grateful to have someone come with me on ze walk home…"

            Stan flashed a smile and said, "Hey, for you, _anytime_…"

            "Shhh…" she said, suddenly, coming to a stop and waving a paw to cut him off.  He stopped and listened, and she said, "Did you hear zis?"

            Listening closely, Stan shook his head, "No, I don't hear any—…"  A moment later, there was a snapping of twigs in the bushes they were walking near.  Both of them stayed absolutely still, listening to see if they would hear it again.  Everything stayed perfectly silent, though, and they couldn't see anything in the darkness of the bushes, either.

            Bijou turned to look back in the direction they had come from and said, "Maybe we should head back, _oui?_"

            Stan looked back also and shrugged, "Sure, if you feel like it.  You can stay at _my _place if you'd like…"

             Bijou turned to look back at the path in front of them, and suddenly fell back a step with an alarmed gasp.  Stan quickly followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped at what he saw.  Although the streetlight above illuminated _them_ all right, the shadows cast by the bushes obscured what was in front of them.  Whatever it was, it was big…almost three times their height, and huge arms that stuck out from the side.  It stood motionless in front of them…they hadn't even heard it approach.

            As Bijou started backing up some more, the shadowy thing finally moved, lifting one of its legs and taking a heavy step forward.  Stan looked up at the huge creature, still obscured in the shadows, as it approached...too frozen in fear to move, he clenched his eyes shut and scrunched down, rubbing his head and nervously whispering, "H-he isn't real... *kushi-kushi, kushi-kushi*... I-I'm just seeing things...*kushi-kushi*..."

            He heard the heavy footfalls as it approached, and kept his eyes shut, until finally it stopped, right in front of him.  Nothing happened for a few moments, so he nervously opened his eyes, looking up at it, towering over him and still in shadow.  It waited, motionless, not speaking a word, staring at him with a set of bright yellow eyes, never moving its gaze.  _M-maybe it's not a monster,_ Stan thought.  _Maybe it's j-just someone that needs directions, or…_

            A moment later, Stan's eyes widened in alarm as something struck him in the chest.  A sharp pain shot through him, and his breath seized up…behind him, Bijou let out a loud shriek.  He slowly lowered his gaze, and saw one of the creature's arms, now visible in the light.  It was covered with spiky, greenish-black fur, and ended in a set of long, wicked-looking claws…claws that were now pierced deeply into his chest.  He tried to scream, or speak, or do anything, but he couldn't so much as take a breath…the creature held the claws in place for a few moments, until eventually, Stan's eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward.  With a *_shinng_*, it pulled its claws free, letting Stan slump lifelessly to the ground.

            The creature lifted its head, looking over where Bijou stood a moment ago, but she had already run off.  It looked back down at Stan's body, reaching down with its claws and clamping them securely around his head.  With that, it turned and headed off, dragging Stan along with it, leaving a trail of blood behind them.  It was the only sign that anyone had been there, for in the next instant, they had vanished into the bushes, and all was silent again…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

            Hamtaro whistled aimlessly as he finished the slow task of pulling Snoozer into the clubhouse and hefting him up onto the table in the center.  Wiping his forehead for a moment, he muttered, "Whew…there you go."  He glanced around and called out, "Panda?  Maxwell?  Are you here?"

            There was no reply for a few seconds, but then they both poked their heads out from doorways in two separate parts of the clubhouse, and came running out for the table where Hamtaro was.  Panda said, "Hey!  Have you seen anything strange lying around?  I was building something, but I think I lost it, and now I can't find it…"

            "No, I haven't seen anything," Hamtaro said with a shrug.  "What did you lose?"

            "I can't tell you, it's a secret project," Panda said, inspecting the corners of the room as he approached the table.  He hung his head a little, "Maxwell and I have been looking all _over _for it, but we just can't find it…"

            Maxwell made it over to the table also, and said, "Maybe if I knew what it _looked_ like, it'd be easier to find…"

            "Hmm," Hamtaro said, rubbing his chin, "I wonder if the HamWraith took it…"

            "HamWraith?" Maxwell and Panda asked together.

            Nodding, Hamtaro explained, "Yeah…Boss was telling us a story out by the campfire about a monster that used to live around here…you should have been there to hear it, it was really scary!"

            "HamWraith, hm?  I've read something about it once…" Maxwell said, trying to recall what it was.

            "Really?" Hamtaro said, feeling a little more frightened.  "You mean, he really existed?"

            "Not really," Maxwell said, shaking his head.  "It was just a story that they used to tell around here to frighten people…a story about a giant Ham-Ham with claws, right?"

            "Right," Hamtaro said.

            Panda took a seat at the table and rested his head in his hands, "I want my invention back…it was going to be a big surprise…"

            "Don't worry, it'll turn up," Maxwell assured him.  "I'll keep looking to see if I can find it.  Maybe you left it outside somewhere, and…"

            Maxwell was interrupted by Oxnard bursting in through the door.  He shouted, "Guys!  Someone needs help!  I heard someone yelling outside, and it sounded like Bijou!"

            "Bijou's in trouble?" Hamtaro exclaimed.

            "Let's get going!" Panda said, and the three Ham-Hams at the table quickly got up and rushed for the door.  They started running together with Oxnard from the clubhouse along the edge of the bushes, "*Chick-ah-chick-ah-chick-ah-chick-ah*," in the direction Bijou had left.  Looking up ahead of them, Hamtaro thought, _I don't see her…where did she go?_

            "_Stop!_" Maxwell said, skidding to a halt, and the other Ham-Hams quickly followed suit.  He peered at the ground near one part of the bushes, at a pool of something thick and red, barely visible in the dim light.

            "What is it?" Panda asked.

            Maxwell stared at it, "I don't know, I've never seen anything like it…"

            "Is it candy?" Oxnard wondered aloud.

            Hamtaro bravely knelt down and touched it, taking a closer look, "It's sticky…hey, I think I've seen this before!"

            "You have?" Maxwell asked.  "Where?"

            "A couple of weeks ago," Hamtaro told them, "I was climbing up the bars of my cage back in Laura's room, just to see if I could make it up to the top from inside.  I almost made it, when I slipped and fell, and I cut my paw on the bars on the way down.  I remember this same thing coming from the cut, and Laura came over…she said, 'Oh my gosh, Hamtaro, you're bleeding,' and quickly wrapped a little piece of cloth around my paw to stop it."

            "Bleeding?" Maxwell repeated, then snapped his fingers, "Wait…blood!  Yes, I _have _read something about that…"  He quickly flipped open his book to look it up again.

            Oxnard walked up to the puddle of blood and looked at it nervously, "That's a lot of it…how many cuts would it take to make that much?"

            "A lot," Hamtaro said.  "I hope no one's hurt…"  He examined the blood again, and noticed that it lead off in a trail, out of the light, towards the bushes.  "Hey, it leads off this way…c'mon!"  He started following it.

            Oxnard stayed where he was, though, and shook his head, "Uh, Hamtaro…I'm not so sure this is a good idea…"

            "Yeah, we still have to find Bijou," Panda reminded him.

            Hamtaro was about to tell them it'd be all right, when they heard something coming, and turned to look.  Boss was running over to where they were, with Cappy and Sandy following him.  "I _thought_ I heard somewhat shouting," Boss said as he approached.  "What's goin' on?"

            Maxwell looked up from his book and said, "We came out to find Bijou, but all we found was this…"  He indicated the puddle of blood.

            Boss took one look at the blood, and gasped, tightening his grip on his shovel, "Th…that's…"  It was hard to tell in the dim light, but Hamtaro could swear he was turning a little white.  They didn't realize that _he_ knew just what the presence of the blood _really _meant…

            "It leads off this way," Hamtaro said, following the trail again.  "It looks like it went into the bushes…"

            "No, wait!" Boss exclaimed, "It's too dangerous!"

            "I'll be okay," Hamtaro said, heading up to the edge of the bushes and brushing some of the leaves aside as he worked his way inside.  "It's just the bushes, there's nothing wrong…"

            When he brushed aside the next clump of leaves, though, he yelled in surprise, "Waaah!"  The trail of blood on the ground stopped at this point.  Lying on his back there was Stan…three gaping holes were in his chest, and blood was slowly trickling down from them, across his fur, collecting in a larger puddle around him.  His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were glazed over, not focusing on anything.  He was lying still, far too still…

            "What's wrong?" Boss said, rushing up next to Hamtaro…when he saw Stan, he froze in place, shocked speechless.  The other Ham-Hams made their way over to see what was happening as well, and they gasped in fright as well.  Boss finally managed to speak up, and stammered, "H-he's…he's…d…dead…"

            "D-dead?" Sandy whispered, in disbelief, "Y-you mean, like…gone?"  Boss nodded grimly.

            "Oh no…" Cappy said, swallowing and nervously clutching his hat tighter.  Sandy shook as she looked at Stan's body, her eyes filling with tears, until finally, she turned away, crying onto Maxwell's shoulder.  He put his arms around her, hugging her tightly in comfort.

            Oxnard looked away from the sight, too, and whispered, "What…happened…?"

            "I…I don't know," Maxwell said, furiously thinking.  "Maybe it was a cat, or…"

            "Shh, listen!" Boss said, waving a hand to quiet everyone down.  They all listened intently to whatever Boss had heard, afraid that maybe whatever it was had come back.  They heard another sound in the distance, though, like someone weeping, and all of them started to slowly move in that direction to check it out.  It was coming from a small pile of rocks between two of the bushes…

            Hamtaro cautiously leaned over the edge to see what was behind it, and was startled to see Bijou there, wedged in a little crack between two of the rocks, with her eyes clenched shut tightly, trembling and very quietly whimpering.  "Hey," Hamtaro said softly, "Bijou…it's us…"

            She opened an eye carefully, and when she saw it was Hamtaro, she looked relieved, "Oh…thank goodness!"  She pulled herself out from the rocks, as the others came around, and said, "I was so scared!"

            "You're safe now," Boss asked.  "Are you all right, Bijou?"

            "I-I'm okay," she replied, "but…but Stan…"

            "We saw," Panda said, grimly.  "What…_happened_ to him?"

            Bijou took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and said, "It was ze HamWraith…"  Everyone gasped, and she continued, "Ze one from Boss' story, I am sure of it!  He was tall, with ze huge claws, and…and he…"

            "Whaa?" Boss said, even more shaken than before, "Y-you mean, there actually _is _a HamWraith?!  I thought it was just a story too!  I was just tryin' ta _scare_ you guys!"

            "Well, i-it worked," Oxnard said, glancing around nervously, "I'm p-pretty scared right now…"

            "Me too," Hamtaro admitted, "but we've gotta try and stay together…"

            Boss looked down at him, then back at the group, narrowing his eyes, "The kid's right.  If this thing comes back, we've gotta be ready for it.  Everyone, back to the clubhouse!  We'll be safer there…"  The Ham-Hams all nodded quickly, and they all left the bushes, heading back, although most of them were staring into the bushes nervously, as though afraid the monster would show again at any moment.

            As they walked back, Sandy stared at the ground in front of her, hanging her head sadly…she cried, "I…can't believe…like…Stan's…"

            "It's all right, Sandy," Maxwell said sympathetically.  "I'll miss him too…but don't worry, you'll be safe as long as you stay together with the group, all right?"  Sandy sniffed and nodded.

            Bijou walked alongside Hamtaro, and asked fearfully, "Do you think ze HamWraith will come back?"

            Hamtaro looked up at the night sky, and said, "I don't know…but I hope that if he does, we'll be ready for him…"  They continued walking the rest of the way back…he glanced into the bushes, and for a moment, he thought he saw movement…but there was nothing.  _Just my imagination,_ he thought…_I've never been so scared!  I hope everything turns out all right..._

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

            The Ham-Hams all rushed into the clubhouse, and Boss quickly slammed and bolted the door shut.  As he did this, the others all gathered around the table, where Snoozer was still sleeping away, and huddled together.  Boss tapped the door a few times with his shovel to make sure it was secure, and nodded, "No HamWraith is getting' in _here_."

            "B-but Boss," Oxnard reminded him, "You said th-that his claws could tear through anything…"

            "_Quiet!_" Boss shouted at him.  "You're scaring m— …er, Bijou!"

            Hamtaro quickly looked around at the Ham-Hams that were collected around the table…not all of them were present.  He said, "At least we're all right…but what about Pashmina?  And Penelope?  Not to mention Howdy and Dexter…"

            "Did someone call me?" came Howdy's voice from one of the other rooms.  Everyone looked over as he walked out, carrying his broom with him, and said, "Just thought I'd come back and sweep up a bit before heading home…"  Noticing the looks on everyone's faces, he said, "What's the matter with _you _guys?"

            Maxwell said, "We'll explain in a minute, but first…where's the others?  Have you seen them?"

            "Dexter's around someplace," Howdy said, still confused.  "Said he had to come back and take care of a few things.  Much as I'd like to have seen Pashmina, I haven't…not Penelope, either.  Why?"

            Dexter appeared at the upper level, quickly scampering down the ladder to join them.  "I heard some talking down here," Dexter said, approaching the table.  "What's the problem?"

            "Dexter!  Thank goodness you're okay," Sandy said.  "Quick, over here!"  Dexter joined them at the table curiously.  "Bijou, why don't you tell them what's going on?"  Howdy and Dexter looked at Bijou expectantly.

            "Well, see…" Bijou started to say, but a loud *_thump_* at the door made her stop talking.  Everyone froze, staring at the door, listening silently…no one dared move a muscle or even breathe as they listened…the only sound still in the air was the soft "*ZuZuZu*" from Snoozer.  They waited to see if the sound they heard before would come again…

            There was another *_thump_* at the door, and everyone jumped, startled.  Boss waved his hand and whispered, "Shhhh…be very quiet…don't make a sound…"  He gripped his shovel and carefully approached the door.  He was sweating nervously, and swallowed once, thinking, _What am I getting myself into?_

            About halfway to the door, there was another sound from the door, but this time, it was someone knocking five times.  This was followed a moment later by a voice calling through the door, "Hamha!  Anyone here?"

            "That's Pashmina!" Dexter and Howdy said simultaneously.

            Boss relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief, and walked over, unbolting the door and swinging it open.  Pashmina was indeed at the door, as was Penelope.  "We saw a bunch of you running back this way," she said as she came in.  "Are you guys having a party or something without _me?_"

            "For cryin' out loud," Boss said, waving her inside quickly, "get in!"  Pashmina was a little puzzled, but did so anyway.  Boss quickly slammed the door behind her and re-bolted it.

            "So what _is _going on?" Pashmina asked as she went over to the table with the others.

            Penelope followed her, and took a seat as well, "Ookyoo?"

            "All right, everyone's here," Maxwell said, waiting for Boss to return to the table.  "It's like this…"  As Howdy, Dexter, Pashmina, and Penelope listened, the other Ham-Hams quickly told them everything that happened.  About Stan, the Hamwraith, everything.  Their expressions turned from confusion to alarm to fear as they talked.

            "…so we came back here, 'cause we thought it would be safer," Hamtaro finished up.  "And that's everything…"

            "Stan…" Dexter said, shaking his head, "I can scarcely believe it…"

            Howdy gripped the handle of his broom, and said, "Well, what are we waiting for?  Let's go _find _this thing!"

            "Are you crazy?" Maxwell exclaimed.  "Go out after it?  Why?"

            "Yeah, that thing's a _monster_, don't forget!" Cappy added.

            "It may be a monster," Howdy said, "but the only way we'll ever be safe is if we _capture _it.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't plan on sittin' around until it decides to bust in here…"

            Bijou thought about that, and said, "Can we even _catch _ze monster?  It may be too strong…"

            "Piece of cake!" Howdy claimed, and looked over at Panda, "I'll bet _you _could build a trap for it, _couldn't_ you, Panda?"

            Everyone stared at Panda, and he thought about it…finally, he said, "Maybe…I'll need some more things to build it from than I've got here…"

            "There, you see?" Howdy said, smiling.

            "I still don't know about this," Maxwell said, troubled.

            All was quiet for a few moments, before Sandy spoke up, "Build it.  The HamWraith _totally _needs to…"  She stopped, and closed her eyes to prevent tears from forming.

            Maxwell looked at Sandy, then back to the group, and said, "If Sandy thinks we should do it, then I say we do it."  There were slow murmurs of agreement from everyone around the table, everyone voicing their support.  Maxwell nodded confidently and said, "Okay, Panda, what do we need to find?"

            Working quickly, Panda scribbled out a list on some little pieces of paper, handing them out to the other Ham-Hams…except for Snoozer.  "Bring everything back here," Panda told them.  "I'll build it right here, and then we can carry it outside and lay the trap…"

            "Got it!" Boss said.  "All right, everyone, go for it!  And be careful!"  The Ham-Hams split up, heading off into different directions across the clubhouse, in search of the items that were needed.  Panda, in the meantime, stayed next to Snoozer, and started scribbling the plans for the trap down on a fresh sheet of paper…

*          *            *

            Hamtaro, Bijou, and Cappy headed off down the same hallway, and Hamtaro looked at his sheet of paper.  "A spool of thread," he read aloud.  "That shouldn't be too hard…"

            "I have to get a sewing needle," Cappy said.  "I know just where one is, too!  I'll meet you guys back at the table!"  He scurried off into one of the rooms at the end of the hall.

            Bijou stopped next to another door and said, "Zis is where I need to go…I will find ze heavy rope here."

            "All right," Hamtaro said…he waited for a moment, then said, "Are you okay and everything?  I know that had to have been scarier than _anything_ back there…"

            "I'm…fine…" Bijou said, although she didn't really sound like she meant it.

            "Listen, don't worry," Hamtaro told her.  "We'll stop this thing…okay?"

            Bijou nodded, and Hamtaro was about to leave, when she said, "Hamtaro…thank you," and smiled.  Hamtaro smiled back, and turned, heading into the opposite room.   Bijou continued into the room she was heading for.

            Rummaging through the junk in this room, Hamtaro dug through everything, looking for some rope.  Not finding any, he stopped to think about it, and rubbed his head, "*Kushi-Kushi*…I know we've got some around somewhere…wait, I know!"  He left the room and went down the hallway further.

            Coming to the door where Cappy had gone.  _He was going for a sewing needle,_ Hamtaro figured, _so there must be a spool of thread there, too._  He swung the door open, and called into the room, "Cappy, did you find th—…"  He froze in his tracks, though, and let out a startled scream…

            Bijou must have heard it, because she came running, "What?  Hamtaro, what's wrong?"  Noticing him standing motionless at the door where Cappy had gone, she asked, "Is it Cappy?"

            Still staring horrified into the room, Hamtaro managed to say, "I…I don't…know…"  She peeked into the room, and threw her paws over her mouth to keep from shrieking, turning away quickly.  Hamtaro couldn't take his eyes off of it, though…the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were splattered with blood, and there were… _pieces_ scattered around, most of them too bloody to identify, although he recognized what looked like a paw, and a tail…if it weren't for the blood-soaked hat also lying amongst it, he wouldn't have been able to identify who it was at _all_…

            That wasn't the only thing, either…the wall had a sizeable hole carefully sliced into it, opening it up to the outside.  The edges were rough, like it had been cut with claws, and it was wide enough for something huge to pass through.  He finally snapped out of his horror-struck trance, and slammed the door shut, bracing his back against it and trying to steady his breathing, which was now coming double-time, much like the beating of his heart.

            "Oh…Hamtaro…" Bijou wept, still turned away with her paws covering her face, "It's…it's…."

            "W-we gotta t-tell the others…" Hamtaro stammered.  "It's…i-it's not safe here…anymore…"

*          *            *

            Though few wanted to see what Hamtaro was talking about, Boss decided to have a look, and when he came back, he looked as though he regretted it.  "I'm never setting foot in that room again," he muttered, dizzily sitting down at the table.

            "_Now _what do we do?" Pashmina said, frightened.  "If the HamWraith can come in here…"

            "Just calm down!" Boss said.  "Let's stick to the plan, already…we've got everything we need, so Panda, build us the trap!  It could be our only chance here…"

            "Right!" Panda nodded, and quickly got to work putting the pieces together.  Everyone else looked around, watching each of the doors fearfully, knowing that at any moment, the HamWraith could come bursting through any door…or any wall.  Hamtaro was shaking…he hoped that the trap would work, because if it didn't, it could mean disaster for them all…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

            "There!" Panda said, putting the finishing touches on the contraption.  "This should work…"  He stepped back and observed his handiwork…it was a large mishmash of various items, and was thrown together sort of hastily, but otherwise, it looked like it would work.  As the others stared at it, he said, "What do you think?"

            Pashmina finally spoke up, "What does it…do?"

            "The HamWraith steps here," Panda said, pointing at a small flat panel, "and when he does, this spring will make the sewing needle here shoot out, and it'll wrap the thread around his legs, nice and tightly.  He trips and falls_ here…_" He indicated the front part of the trap, "and that's when two of us leap out and tie the heavy rope around him."

            Sandy nodded, "That's cool, but…who's going to do the tying?"

            Everyone looked at each other.  No one said a word, or stepped forward.  Eventually, Boss said, "C'mon, you guys!  Someone volunteer!"

            "Why don't _you?_" Dexter asked.

            "Ah, err…" Boss said, scratching his head, then quickly turned to Panda and said, "It's your invention, why don't you pick someone?"

            Sandy spoke up, "I'll go."

            Maxwell, as did the other Ham-Hams, looked in shock at her, and he said, "Sandy, no, let someone else…"

            "No," she interrupted, "I can tie a good strong knot…I had a lot of practice with my ribbons."  Narrowing her eyes with determination, she added, "Besides, this is, like, personal now.  I _have_ to, after what he did to Stan.  I'm going, and that's final, okay?"

            "Well, in that case," Maxwell said with a smile.  "I'm going too.  I won't let you do this alone."  Sandy smiled back, and the two briefly rubbed their cheeks together, both saying, "*Schmubby-Wubby*", before heading over to join Panda in carrying out the trap.

            Hamtaro called out after them, "Be careful!"

            "We will!" Panda shouted back.  They left the clubhouse to lay the trap.  Everyone else hoped that it would work…because if it didn't, they were all in serious trouble…

            "What are we waiting for?" Howdy exclaimed.  "Find a window, everyone!"  They all scattered in different directions looking for rooms that had a place to see what was going on outside…

*          *            *

            Unfolding and setting the trap took a little longer than expected, about five minutes in all, but luckily, the HamWraith didn't show up as they were working.  Once the trap was in place, Maxwell and Sandy took their positions on the sides of the trap, in convenient hiding places.  Now that it was all set, Hamtaro, from his vantage point, could see that it was very cleverly concealed, and that if the HamWraith came along, there's no way he'd be able to spot it.  _Panda, you're a genius!_ Hamtaro thought.  _This is going to work, I know it!_

            Panda rushed back to the door, and took cover.  Everything was quiet for almost fifteen minutes after that…Hamtaro could see the two in their hiding places, and they both looked nervous.  _Maybe he won't show up,_ Hamtaro thought…_or maybe it'll take a long time before he does…_

            That's when he spotted something heading towards the clubhouse from the shadows.  Ducking a little further down, Hamtaro nonetheless tried to get a better look at whatever it was.  It was too dark to see it clearly, but it was huge…and despite the darkness, he could make out the two glowing yellow eyes, and the shape of its clawed arms.  _The HamWraith_, he realized…_It really exists…I don't believe it…_

            The monstrous thing continued towards the clubhouse, still remaining in shadow, although it headed directly for the trap.  It finally came right up to the edge of it and abruptly stopped, looking around from side to side towards the bushes.  _C'mon, _Hamtaro urged quietly.  _Just another step or two…just take another step…_

            It suddenly reached out with one of its claws, breaking right through Maxwell's hiding place and grabbing hold of him.  With a cry of alarm, Maxwell struggled to get free, but the monster pulled him closer and held him in the center of the machine…with that, it stomped its foot down on the triggering panel…the needle with the thread shot out, with Maxwell directly in its path…

            Hamtaro watched in shock as the needle embedded itself right through the center of Maxwell's head, partially emerging from the other side…Maxwell twitched for a moment, then fell limp, and the HamWraith tossed him aside.  Sandy screamed loudly, scrambling out from her hiding place and running for the bushes as fast as she could.  The HamWraith turned and watched her go, then started following…both of them vanished from the view of the clubhouse…

            _Oh no…_Hamtaro thought, biting his lip.  _Run, Sandy…run!!_

            Sandy was terrified beyond belief…she knew the thing was right behind her, and didn't look back for a moment as she ran, "*Badda-badda-badda-badda!!*"  _What do I do what do I do what do I do?!_ she thought furiously, looking for someplace to hide.  She ducked into the bushes and ran through the dense foliage, until finally she spotted the side of a small flowerbed.  With nowhere else to go, she quickly took cover amongst one of the flowers.

            The HamWraith approached the flowerbed, and Sandy sat as still as she could, although she was shaking in fear, her heart racing out of control.  She kept her paws clamped over her mouth to keep from making any sound, but she was still breathing quickly, and was afraid that he might hear it.  The HamWraith gazed across the flowerbed, and then reached down, grabbing one of the flowers and uprooting it with a quick tug.  Not finding her there, it tossed the flower aside and moved to the next.

            Sandy peeked out from behind the flower and watched as he slowly moved from one flower to the next, pulling them up and throwing them away.  She ducked back under cover and clenched her eyes shut, trembling and thinking, _No please don't find me please go away don't find me…_

            As she waited, the sound of the HamWraith's heavy feet thumped over to her flower and stopped.  Everything was eerily quiet, and Sandy stayed as still and as quiet as she possibly could.  Nothing happened for a few seconds…it was maddening to know that he was standing _right there_, but not doing anything…she wondered hopefully if maybe he had given up…

            Her flower was suddenly pulled fiercely out of the ground, and Sandy shrieked, trying to get away…she only made it a step or two before the HamWraith's foot stomped down on her, pinning her face down on the ground…she craned her neck up to see the monstrous thing towering over her, and cried out, "No!  _NOO!!_" as it grabbed onto her head with one of its claws…still holding her body in place, it yanked hard, and everything went black all at once, with a horrible *_RRRRIP_*…

*          *            *

            Hamtaro took a quiet few steps back away from the window.  He didn't know what to think.  _No…not them too…Maxwell…oh, I hope Sandy made it…this can't be happening…  _He turned back silently and slowly walked out of the room, heading back for downstairs, still in a shocked disbelief over what happened.

            By the time he made it downstairs, he saw that everyone else was slowly trickling in as well, one at a time.  All of them looked as shocked as Hamtaro felt.  Oxnard stammered, "What…what are we…gonna do…?"

            "I don't know…" Boss said.  "I just don't know…"  He thought furiously, but was drawing a blank.  Things were happening too quickly…

            Bijou clutched onto Hamtaro's arm tearfully and whispered, "I'm so scared…"  Hamtaro held her back, trying to reassure her, but he felt just as hopeless.  Stan…Cappy…Maxwell…all of them, gone…and he could only hope that Sandy made it to safety…

            Panda returned from outside.  He looked pale as he told them the bad news, "I found Sandy…"

            "Is she okay?" Pashmina said, even though she knew from Panda's demeanor that she wasn't.  Panda looked back at her sadly, then lowered his head, shaking it.  Pashmina covered her eyes, crying…

            "Ookyoo, ookyoo…" Penelope whispered, crying as well.

            "We can't give up hope," Hamtaro said.  "If we stick together, that thing can't get all of us…right?  We can make it…we just have to stay alive!"

            There was silence…that's when they noticed that even Snoozer, still lying on the table in his sock, wasn't snoring anymore.  They looked over as he rubbed his eye with one paw and groggily said, "No one lives forever…"  With that, he drifted off back to sleep, "*ZuZuzu*…"

            Everyone stared at Snoozer, silently, until finally Oxnard grabbed his head with his paws and muttered, "We're gonna die…"

            Howdy frowned a little and said, "Wait…why'd that thing know about the trap, anyway?  It was so well-hidden!"

            "He even knew exactly how to set it off…" Dexter pointed out.  "That's impossible, right?"

            "Yes…" Panda replied, lost in thought.  "We're the only ones who knew how it worked…but…if that's true, then…"  He looked out at the others.

            Dexter blinked a few times, then angrily said, "Hey, wait a minute!  Are you implying what I _think _you're implying?!"

            "What?" Hamtaro said, confused.

            Panda looked at him and said, "We're the only ones who knew how the trap worked…but so did the HamWraith.  So, that could mean that the monster is really…one of us…"

            Everyone exchanged glances, no one daring to say a word, until finally, Pashmina exclaimed, "How could you even _think_ that any one of use could do this?!"

            "Not a chance!" Boss said firmly, jamming the end of his shovel into the ground.  "No way!  It can't be!"

            "Ookyoo!" Penelope agreed.

            Bijou nodded, "I would trust _all _of you…zis is impossible, one of you being ze HamWraith…"

            "Maybe he was just spying on us somehow," Hamatro suggested.  "Maybe he knew that way…"

            The others thought about that, and Howdy said, "Y'could be right…"  There were murmurs of agreement from everyone else.  Howdy continued, "Either way, we should all find something to protect ourselves with.  I've got my broom, and Boss has his shovel, so everyone else, find somethin'…"

            "Good idea," Boss nodded.  "Just stick together!  Don't go off on your own, okay?"

            "Okay!" everyone said together.  All of them, except for Howdy and Boss, who stayed at the table with Snoozer, broke away from the center table, looking for defensive weapons.  Despite the suggestion that the HamWraith was merely watching them, though, everyone still gave suspicious glances to the others…could it be possible?  Could the HamWraith really be one of the Ham-Hams?  It was unthinkable…and yet, they all wondered if it was really true or not…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

            Pashmina went through a box in the corner of the room that she, Dexter and Penelope were in, trying to find something useful.  She wasn't sure what to think about all this, but she knew that Howdy was right, and they had to protect themselves.  So far, though, there was a lack of suitable items that could be used as weapons…she found a small pillow, and considered it for a moment, before returning it to the box.

            Dexter seemed to be having better luck.  As Penelope watched over his shoulder, he found a safety pin, and popped it open.  He experimentally ran the tip against the wall, leaving a long scratch, and nodded, "Well, it's better than nothing.  Did you find anything, Pashmina?"

            "No," she replied, frowning as she closed the box.  "Nothing.  Maybe I should just say close to you and Howdy; I'll be safer that way…"

            "You've got to have _some_thing," Dexter insisted.  He glanced around, and approached a shelf, pulling a plate from it, "Ah, here we go.  You can throw this, can't you?"

            He offered it to Pashmina, who took it, and said, "I guess so…"

            "Ookyoo," Penelope said, looking sad.  Pashmina looked down at her and gave a comforting smile, but she looked at the plate sadly, thinking, _This was Sandy's…it just doesn't feel right somehow, using it as a weapon…but if I have to…_

            Noticing how sad she looked, Dexter said, "I know things don't look too good, but you'll be safe with us."

            Pashmina nodded, lost in thought, and after a few seconds finally asked, "Dexter…you'd…never do anything to…_hurt_ me…would you?"

            "What?" he said, taken aback a little by the question, and answered, "No, of course not…I'd never let _anything_ hurt you…"  Pashmina smiled, and the two of them left the room together, with Penelope following close behind…

*          *            *

            "Weapon…weapon…weapon…" Oxnard mumbled as he went through the small closet.  He called out, "Will a paper clip work?"

            "Probably not," Panda called back, as he went through the other junk in the room.  "They aren't very sharp…"

            "How about a push pin?" he asked, stepping out from the closet, holding what he had found.

            Nodding, Panda said, "That's better.  I wish I had time, I'd just build something."  He resumed his own search and shook his head, "If only I could find the invention I built _earlier_…_that'd_ make a great weapon…"

            "What did you build?" Oxnard asked, curiously.

            Panda sat down on a stool, scratching his head for a moment, then said, "I borrowed one of Maxwell's books on mechanics so that I could design a tool to make construction a little bit easier.  More automated.  That kind of thing.  It was going to be a surprise, but it probably won't matter now.  Especially since I can't even _find _it."

            "Yeah…" Oxnard said, looking down at the push pin in his paws.  He thought about the fact that he might have to use it to save his life, and it shook in his hands a little.  "Panda?  I-I don't know if I can do this…"

            "Me either," Panda admitted, "but you have to do what you have to do."  He looked down at the stool he was sitting on, then stood up and lifted it with his paws.  "This could work…nice and heavy…"

*          *            *

            "Another sewing needle?" Bijou said, looking a little disturbed.  "After what happened with Maxwell…"

            Hamtaro lifted the needle to take a closer look at it as they walked down the corridor, and said, "I know, but it's all I could think of…"  He grasped it tightly and nodded, "Besides, I think it's the best thing we have."

            They stopped at the room where Bijou kept her things, and she went inside.  She came back out a moment later carrying one of her ribbons, and a bag with something else in it.  Hamtaro looked oddly at the ribbon and said, "But…that's not…"

            "Just watch…" Bijou said with a smile.  She held both ends of the ribbon together, then reached into the bag and pulled a small rock out.  Placing the rock into the center of the ribbon, she lifted it above her head and swung it around a few times…Hamtaro quickly ducked to avoid getting hit by it.  After another big swing, she flung the rock out…it hit the side of the wall, leaving a nice dent.

            "Wow…" Hamtaro said, impressed.  "That's great!"

            "Thank you!" Bijou said, walking over and retrieving the rock.  "Zis will make a good weapon, _non_?"  Hamtaro could only nod in agreement, picking himself up sheepishly from the ground.  _Her weapon's even better than _mine _is,_ Hamtaro thought.  _Well, with the two of us, we should do a pretty good job…_

*          *            *

            Everyone must have been confident that their weapons would help protect them, because they didn't all gather back to the center room.  Some of them decided it'd be safer to stick near the deeper parts of the clubhouse, which would make it harder for the HamWraith to get to them.  Hamtaro laid on his back in one room, staring up and counting the cracks in the ceiling, his sewing needle next to him where he can grab it at a moment's notice.

            Panda stuck his head in the room and asked, "Hamtaro?  Are you busy?"

            "Not really," Hamtaro answered, looking over at the doorway.  "Why?"

            "I'm still trying to find my invention," Panda said, walking inside, still carrying the stool with him.  "I was wondering if you could help me look…"

            Hamtaro sat up, "Well, what does it look like?"

            "It's made of metal," he described carefully.  "Four big metal bars sticking out from the center, kind of like a metal spider with four legs."

            "How big _is_ it?" Hamtaro asked.

            He thought about that and said, "I guess pretty big.  It folds up about to my height, but unfolded, it's huge, like taller than Boss."

            "Hmm," Hamtaro said, "What's it for?"

            "You get into the center and put your arms and legs in it," Panda told him.  "It's for carrying heavy things around.  I could pick up and move big rocks with it, not to mention reach things that are very high…it's a perfect tool for construction.  But I think in a pinch, it could help us fight the HamWraith.  If _only_ I could figure out where I _put _it…"

            "It sounds like it," Hamtaro nodded.  "Where did you see it last?"

            Panda pointed back outside, "Right on the center table, by Snoozer."

            "Maybe someone put it away for you," Hamtaro suggested.

            "Let's go check the closets then," Panda said, and Hamtaro got up, picking up his sewing needle and taking it with him as they went out into the corridor.  "You know, the other Ham-Hams have been acting a little strange around me lately…" Panda said as they walked.

            "Like what?" Hamtaro asked.

            "Well, it's like they don't trust me…" he said.  "I asked Pashmina to help me look, and she said she didn't want to go looking alone…even though I would be there…"

            Hamtaro looked at him and said, "Maybe it's because you were never around when the HamWraith struck.  The whole thing you said about the monster being one of us.  I think you made a couple of them scared."

            "Yes, but why do they think it's _me?_" Panda exclaimed as they stopped at one of the doors.  "If it was me, why would I even bring _up _that idea?  _You _weren't seen with it either…neither was Bijou, or Boss, or any of them…"

            Hamtaro said, "Don't let it get to you, Panda.  They're just nervous right now."

            Panda opened the door that lead into the darkened storage room, and turned to Hamtaro, "It's probably _not _one of us _anyway_.  I was just making a suggestion."

            "Yeah," Hamtaro said.  "We'd _never_ do anything like that."

            Panda nodded…and then suddenly gasped, his breath choking in his throat.  Something had just emerged from his chest…a long, blood-soaked claw.  Hamtaro's jaw dropped, but he was too shocked to speak, although he stumbled back a step.  Behind Panda, in the closet, he saw a pair of yellow eyes in the dark.  Panda was tensed up, staring down at the claw coming out of his chest, and sputtered, "H—…Ham…ta…r…"

            Hamtaro fell back a few more steps as the HamWraith emerged from the storage room, ducking down to squeeze through the doorway.  It lifted its arm up, lifting Panda with it, still impaled on the claw.  Now that it was in the light of the hallway, Hamtaro could see it clearly for the first time.  The fur on it was thick and spiky, a strange greenish-black color like nothing he'd ever seen before.  The ears on it were long and pointy, and a row of sharp teeth ran around the front of its head, tightly clamped in an eternal snarling grin.

            Losing his footing, Hamtaro fell down, and could only watch in horror at the monstrous creature…Panda kicked wildly from his claw, trying to get free.  The HamWraith reached over with its other claw, grasping Panda's head with it, and pulled in opposite directions, ripping him in two.  A spray of blood splattered across the walls and floor, and some of it onto Hamtaro, but he didn't even notice…he was frozen in terror now, and couldn't so much as make a sound, his eyes locked onto the horrible scene in front of him.

            As the HamWraith tossed the two halves of Panda aside, Hamtaro realized that he was still holding his sewing needle…but he knew it wouldn't do much against a beast like this.  He knew he was going to die, and he was scared, more scared than he had ever been in his life…

            The beast stared at him silently for a few moments, doing nothing, like it was savoring his fear.  It took a slow step towards him, but then stopped, cocking its head to the side like it was listening.  Hamtaro could hear feet approaching from the distance, and the faint sound of "*Chick-ah-Chick-ah-Chick-ah-Chick-ah*…"  The beast turned down the opposite direction of the corridor and ran off, moving surprisingly fast for something of it's size.  Hamtaro still didn't move from the spot, still didn't even stop staring at the place where it had stood a moment before.

            Boss and Howdy came running down from the other direction.  They both cringed at the ghastly sight of Panda, and ran over to Hamtaro.  Boss nudged him with his shovel, and said, "Kid!  You all right?!"

            "I…I…" Hamtaro finally stuttered.  Boss called for some more help, as Howdy lifted him back to his feet.  Hamtaro was still in a state of shock… _The HamWraith, _he thought…_It's inside the clubhouse…it can go wherever it wants…and it's so huge…we can't stop it…none of us can stop it…it's going to kill us all, one by one…_

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

            Bijou came down from the upper level of the clubhouse, heading over to the center table where the other Ham-Hams were.  They were gathered around Hamtaro, who was still trying to get over the shock of what happened to Panda.  It was bad enough without it happening right in _front _of him.  Pashmina was wiping the blood off from him with a wet cloth, and looked up at Bijou, saying, "It got Panda…Hamtaro saw everything…"

            "No…zis is terrible!" Bijou said, tears forming in her eyes.  "We cannot stay here!  It is not safe!  Ze HamWraith will keep coming after each of us, won't it?"

            Pashmina nodded, "I-I know…but where can we go?  It's even more dangerous out _there_…"

            "It'll be okay," Howdy said…he stepped forward in front of Hamtaro and looked at him, saying, "We've already got him, after all."

            "Heke?" everyone chorused, including Hamtaro.

            "Yeah, just think about it!" Howdy said, glaring.  "Who knew just where t' find Stan in the bushes?  Who was the one who found Cappy?  Who wasn't around when the trap failed?  And now _who_…is the only one who's _seen _the HamWraith up _close_, but _didn't_ get killed?"

            Everyone was quiet as they considered Howdy's words…Oxnard finally spoke up, "Uh, who?"

            Pointing, Howdy shouted, "Hamtaro!  That's who!"

            A gasp went up around the other Ham-Hams, and Hamtaro looked around feverishly and stammered, "No…no, wait…I-I'd never…"

            Boss started to buy into Howdy's logic here, too, and leaned down face-to-face with Hamtaro, shouting, "_Admit_ it, you're the HamWraith, aren't you?  It was you this whole time!"

            "Ookyoo!" Penelope added, narrowing her eyes.

            "No!" Hamtaro protested.  "I'm not…"

            Dexter frowned, "Well…the facts _do _point towards him…perhaps…"

            Bijou frowned, and said incredulously, "How can you accuse _Hamtaro?  _I was _there_ when he found Cappy…"

            "Yeah, but did you see him the whole time?" Boss asked.

            "No…we went off in different rooms, but…but…" Bijou said, trailing off.  Her expression seemed to change as she considered the possibility.

            "I can't believe this…" Hamtaro exclaimed.  He looked over at Oxnard, and said, "_You _don't think I'm the HamWraith, do you?"

            "I…ye…t-th…" Oxnard stammered, "…I dunno…I-I…"

            "That's it," Boss said, suddenly grabbing Hamtaro by the arm and hoisting him to his feet, yanking the sewing needle out of his hand at the same time.  "There's only one way to know for _sure_…"  He started dragging him off in the direction of the nearest room.

            "Whaa?  Boss…?" Hamtaro said, too startled to struggle.

            Boss didn't answer…he just opened the door to the room and shoved Hamtaro into it, then slammed the door shut.  Grabbing a nearby chair, he jammed it up against the door so that it couldn't be opened from the inside.  He dusted off his hands and said, "There, that should do it."

            "What are you _doing?_" Hamtaro called out from the other side of the door.

            Boss turned to the others and said, "It's very simple…if we see the HamWraith again, we know it can't be Hamtaro.  If we _don't _see him again, then I think we can pretty much wrap this case up…"

            "I…I guess so," Pashmina agreed.

            Hamtaro pounded on the door a few times and yelled, "Are you crazy?  You can't leave me in here!  What if the HamWraith comes?  I can't run away if I'm locked in a closet!!"

            Boss didn't answer, he just walked back to the table and put the sewing needle down, next to Snoozer.  Taking a seat, he said, "Now, we just wait…it'll be morning soon, and we should be safe then."  Bijou nodded, but kept casting glances back at the door that Hamtaro was locked behind.  He pounded for another few moments, then just stopped.  Bijou's expression became saddened, and she hung her head, lost deeply in thought…

*          *            *

            Hamtaro sat slumped against the door in the dark…it looked hopeless to him.  Everyone thought he was the HamWraith, and thanks to this, he'll be stuck in the dark room until who knows when.  Worst of all, the _real _HamWraith was still out there, and the only way they'll probably let him go is if it killed again.  He cringed at the thought…who was it going to be next time?  Boss?  Dexter or  Howdy?  Pashmina?  Maybe Penelope or Snoozer?  Or maybe Oxnard…or Bijou…he couldn't stand thinking about it anymore.  _No more,_ he thought.  _Not another one…I don't want to lose anyone else…_

            But here he was, completely helpless, while his friends were in grave danger.  _No_, he thought, sitting up, _I have to do something…I have to get out of here and try to do something save them!  To save us all!_  He quickly felt around in the darkness, trying to find something to open the door with, but unfortunately, the little closet was empty.  Dejected, he had to face the facts…he was stuck, and hoped that someone would let him out soon, before it was too late…

*          *            *

            Boss had convinced everyone that it was safe enough to head back up to their rooms across the hideout.  He stayed put, though, never taking his eyes off the door.  Even after about a half-hour passed, everything remained quiet.  _See?_ he thought.  _Nothing's happening…I _knew_ he was the HamWraith!  Not so tough when you're locked up in a closet, are you?  I didn't think so…_

            He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, a quick shadow against the wall of someone, but it moved too quickly for him to see.  By the time he turned his head to look, he noticed the door leading to the tunnel outside closing.  Curiously, he stood up, picking up his shovel and taking it with him as he went over to the door to investigate.  Opening it up, he peeked through, but the tunnel leading outside was empty.

            Still, he _had _seen someone run by, so he edged down the tunnel slowly…he called out, "Anyone there?"  There was no answer, so he kept creeping forward through the darkness, until he eventually emerged outside.  With another glance around, he saw that everything was quiet outside.  No one was around anywhere that he could see.

            He took another few careful steps out, and suddenly, something dropped down behind him.  He spun around, retreating another few steps and grasping his shovel tightly…he saw the HamWraith, crouching on the ground between him and the clubhouse, having just leapt down from the tree above.  It slowly rose back to it's full menacing height, towering above Boss, who could do little more than stare with his mouth open.

            The creature, with its wide, toothy mouth frozen in a grin at him, took a few steps forward.  Boss immediately raised his shovel and yelled, "All right, if it's a fight ya want, you're gonna get it!"  Despite the confidence in his voice, Boss' paws were trembling on the handle of his shovel, and the HamWraith didn't budge at his words, either.

            Bellowing loudly, almost like a war cry, Boss charged, raising his shovel.  He swung it twice, but each time, the HamWraith took a quick hop backwards.  He pulled the shovel back and thrust the front of it forward, trying to ram the blade into the beast, but it grabbed the handle, stopping the thrust before it hit.  Boss pushed as hard as he could to try to get it to go the rest of the way, although it didn't budge against the creature's strength.

            As they struggled, the HamWraith slowly pushed the end of the shovel up, reversing its direction a little bit at a time.  Boss gritted his teeth and tried to push back, but couldn't…the creature fully reversed the direction of the shovel until the blade was pointing at his own chest.  He tried to back away, but ended up collapsing onto his back, the HamWraith now standing over him, slowly pushing the shovel further down.  He stared, horrified, as it edged inexorably closer towards him with each passing second…the toothy smile on the creature never wavered, even once…

            The blade touched his chest, and the creature held it there, watching the fear in Boss' eyes…he suddenly exerted another strong push, driving the shovel deeply into him.  He threw back his head and screamed in pain…his scream was cut short when the HamWraith twisted the shovel sideways in him with a sickening *_krakkk_*, and he fell lifeless almost instantly.  The creature waited a few moments to make sure he was dead, then pulled the shovel back out, and turned to look back at the clubhouse…

*          *            *

            It wasn't long before the others noticed that Boss was missing.  Dexter and Oxnard decided to go looking for him, but were barely out of the door when they spotted his shovel sticking up out of the ground.  Dexter went over and pulled the shovel up from the ground, inspecting it, "Look…blood…"

            "Uhhh, well…m-maybe Boss just dropped it…" Oxnard said.

            "I don't know…" Dexter remarked…then hesitated as he felt the ground with his foot, "Hey, the dirt's soft here…"

            "What?" Oxnard said.  Dexter tossed the shovel aside and scraped some of the dirt aside with his paws…Oxnard started helping him, "*Diggi-duggi-Diggi-duggi-Diggi-duggi*…"  The ground was still soft, and it was evident now that something had been buried here…

            Dexter blinked a few times as he struck something hard, and said, "Heke?  Ah, I think I found something…"  He brushed some of the dirt aside, and saw that it was Boss' little helmet…he continued to clear the dirt away around it and said, "That's odd, why would he bury…_yaaaah!_"  He fell back in alarm.

            Oxnard looked over and was just as startled…it wasn't just Boss' helmet; they found the top part of his head, as well.  The two of them glanced at each other in horror, and then scurried back to their feet, rushing back inside the clubhouse to tell the others.  What they didn't see was the HamWraith, watching them from the shadows…it waited until they were inside before it went to the door to follow them in…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

            "…and you found _Boss _buried there?!" Howdy said, flabbergasted.  Dexter and Oxnard both quickly nodded, confirming the explanation they just gave to everyone.  As everyone gasped at the bad news, Howdy continued, "Well then, this changes everything, don't it?"

            "What do you mean?" Bijou asked,

            Howdy looked over at her and explained, "Well, if the HamWraith was out _there,_ and Hamtaro's locked up in _here,_ then he can't _possibly _be the HamWraith, can he?  I guess I owe him an apology…"

            "That's right," Pashmina said.  "But…we're all here, and none of us left…which means that it can't be _any _of us.  So that means that…that the monster…i-is real?"

            Penelope listened to all this, and looked frightened…then her ears perked up as she heard a sound by the door.  Turning curiously towards it, she wandered away from the others, whispering to herself, "Ookyoo?"

            They didn't notice her…instead, they continued their conversation.  "If the HamWraith's real," Dexter said, "then how on Earth are we going to stop it?  We've tried everything we can think of, and nothing's working!"

            Bijou shook her head, "Right now, we must try to stay together…zis thing must have a weakness, and it is only a matter of time before we find it…"

            "We d-don't exactly h-have a lot of t-time…" Oxnard stammered.  He was shaking non-stop now, he was so afraid.  "Th-there's only…what, s-seven of us left?"

            "Eight," Pashmina corrected him, pointing to Snoozer, still on the table.  "But it's not enough, we need…to…"  She trailed off, and looked over to Penelope, who was next to the front door, pressing her ear up against it.  "Penelope, what's wrong?"

            "Ooky—…" she started to say, but then the door suddenly flung open, knocking her away from the door and onto the ground.  Everyone stared in shock as the HamWraith emerged into the room, ducking low to make it through the small opening…once inside, though, it stood back up to it's full menacing height.  Penelope was dazed a little from her fall, but recovered, and looked up at the beast towering over her, which gazed down at her at the same time.

            Pashmina yelled, "Penelope, no!"  Before she could move, though, the HamWraith lifted one of its feet and brought it down hard, right onto her.  The force of the impact crushed her instantly, blood spraying out across the floor in all directions.  It then lifted it's head up to stare back at them with its horrible yellow eyes.  Pashmina was in total shock…_No_, she thought_, not Penelope, she can't be…!_

            "_Run!_" Dexter yelled, and everyone immediately scattered away from the table as fast as they could.  Pashmina took a moment to snap out of her horrified trance, and turned to run as fast as she could, as well.  She suddenly realized she was going a different direction than the others, but the HamWraith was approaching the table, and it was no longer safe to go back, so she continued to run.  The HamWraith watched her go…it glanced down at Snoozer, still lying asleep on the table, as though considering, then glanced back in the direction Pashmina had run.

            Inside the closet, Hamtaro pressed his ear against the door, and heard everything…he clenched his teeth and scrambled back, as far from the door as he could, pressing his back up against the wall and covering his mouth to keep quiet, thinking, _No please, don't look in here…don't look in here…_  He hoped that it wouldn't because if he did, there was nowhere for him to run or hide…he'd be dead for sure…

            The others made it halfway down one of the corridors, before Howdy skidded to a halt and said, "Hold on!  Pashmina went the other way…"

            "And we forgot Snoozer!" Oxnard exclaimed.

            "And Hamtaro!" Bijou gasped.  "He is still locked in ze closet!  We need to go back…"

            Before she could move, though, Dexter blocked her off and said, "We can't go that way!  We have to hope that the HamWraith leaves them alone!  This way loops back around, so we'll run into Pashmina if we go all the way around, okay?"  Bijou looked uncertain, but she slowly nodded.

            "Then let's _move!_" Howdy ordered, and everyone hurried as fast as they could, checking their weapons as they went.  Howdy grasped his broom tightly…_Faithful broom, _he thought, _just help me take care of this one last mess, and I won't ask anything of you again…_  Dexter had his safety pin ready, and Bijou already prepared a rock in her ribbon sling.  Oxnard's seed was tucked safely under his ear so he wouldn't lose it, and he gripped his push pin with trembling paws.

            They eventually made it all the way around, and started moving more cautiously, hoping not to accidentally run into danger.  As they approached one of the last doors, they heard heavy footsteps on the other side.  They all stayed as quiet as they could, and listened…the footsteps continued, and got fainter, as the HamWraith left in the opposite direction.  Dexter waited until he couldn't hear it anymore, then said, "It's clear, let's go…"

            He swung the door open, but as he entered, threw his paws up over his mouth, as he saw something unexpected…Howdy was equally shocked, as were the others.  Pashmina was dangling in the middle of the room…her precious pink scarf had been tightened around her neck, with the other end secured to a small support beam on the ceiling.  She swayed slowly, but despite the movement, they could tell by her blank stare that she was already dead…

            "Oh no…_no!_" Dexter cried out, running over and grasping one of her legs, hugging it tearfully, "Pashmina…n-no…"  The broom fell from Howdy's hands, and he collapsed to his knees, burying his face in his hands.  Bijou and Oxnard both turned away from the sight, not wanting to see it anymore.

            Looking up suddenly, Howdy's expression turned to one of anger, and even though tears still filled his eyes, he grabbed the broom and got back to his feet.  Dexter looked over at him, also looking upset, and he could tell that they were both thinking the same thing.  He lifted his safety pin up into a ready position and said, "Let's go."

            Howdy nodded, and both he and Dexter started for one of the other open doors leading from the room.  Oxnard glanced back at them and said, "Wh-where are you g-going?"

            Dexter didn't turn back, but kept walking as he said, "It's not getting away with this.  We're not going to run anymore…"

            "Yeah, we're going to _fight_ it." Howdy said with added determination.  "If we don't come back, it's up to you to get Hamtaro and Snoozer to safety, okay?"  Bijou hesitated, then nodded, and the two of them left to chase down their enemy.  Oxnard and Bijou both picked another door to leave…Oxnard gave Pashmina one last glance, biting his lip, then left the room.

            The corridor that Howdy and Dexter went into was dark…it split in two separate directions, and they knew it looped all the way around.  Dexter looked at Howdy and nodded…they knew what to do.  Splitting up, they each took a different path…_All right,_ Dexter thought, _we'll have him cornered from both sides.  There's no running away this time, HamWraith!_

            He followed the corridor gradually, walking slowly and peeking into each room he passed.  There was no sign of him anywhere…eventually he got to a corner, and carefully peeked his head around it.  Stifling a gasp, he pulled his head back a little further…it was there, in the middle of the next hall, standing still with its back facing him.  He stopped looking around the corner, pulling back to a safe position and examining the safety pin in his hands.  _Okay, you can do this, _he thought…_Just sneak up behind while he's not looking, and…_

            There was a sound, like he had ripped one of the doors from its hinges.  Cringing, he waited, listening carefully to hear if it was leaving or not.  After what seemed like a minute, he heard footsteps…it sounded like it was moving closer, slowly, like it was sneaking.  _But I hear you, _he thought…grasping the safety pin tighter, he clenched his teeth and waited, listening as the steps got closer.  In another few moments, it was going to turn the corner…prepping himself, he knew this was his one chance…

            It reached the corner, and without the slightest hesitation, Dexter yelled and swung the safety pun around the corner as hard as he could…it struck its target, sinking deeply into its fur…but it took him a moment in the dim light to realize his mistake.  Howdy choked, the broom dropping out of his hands, and clutched wildly at the pin that was now impaled directly through his throat…Dexter stared, horrified, and cried out, "_NO!!_"

            Before Dexter could do anything else, one of the HamWraith's claws burst out of the wall next to him, and clamped tightly around his neck.  He tried to scream for help, but couldn't breathe, much like Howdy, who had fallen onto his back, trying unsuccessfully to pull the pin free.  In the next moment, the claw twisted slightly and tightened, snapping Dexter neck and spine in one simple move…it released, dropping him in a heap on the ground.  Howdy gave a few last kicks, then gradually became still.  The eyes of the HamWraith appeared momentarily at the hole it made in the wall, as though to make sure they were dead, then vanished as the creature went on the move again…

*          *            *

            Hamtaro never took his eyes off the door, even though it was pitch black.  He knew that at any moment, the HamWraith could burst in, and it would all be over.  Listening to every little sound, he waited…waited to see if he was going to live, or if he was going to die…

            A rough thump made him jump…his heart beat faster as he realized that the chair was just pushed away from the door.  He tensed up as the door opened, light spilling back into the room…he couldn't make out what it was, but instead of one large shape, it was two smaller shapes…

            Bijou called out, "Come on, Hamtaro!  We need to get out of here!"  Oxnard, next to her, nodded vigorously.

            His relief at seeing them was immense, and he quickly scampered out from the closet, "Oh, thank goodness!  I thought I was a goner!"  He glanced around, but besides the two of them, only saw Snoozer, on the table where he last saw him.  He didn't need to ask about Penelope, since he grimly saw what was left of her, by the front door, but he asked, "Where's everyone else?"

            "Pashmina's…" Bijou started to say, then closed her eyes.

            He knew what that meant…she was dead, too.  Taking a deep breath, he said, "What about Howdy and Dexter?"

            "They w-went after the H-HamWraith…" Oxnard said, pointing a shaking paw off at one of the doors, "b-but they're not back yet…I-I don't…think they…"

            "We can hope for the best," Hamtaro said.  He hurried over to the table, picking up his sewing needle that Boss had left there, and said, "Listen, guys, somewhere in here, there's an invention that Panda made…he told me about it before the HamWraith got him.  From the sound of it, we could use it to fight this thing, but we have to figure out where it is.  This could be our best chance, so I say we look for it.  What do you say?'

            Bijou waited a few seconds, then nodded, "Yes, let's find it.  If zis is our best chance, zen we should take it."  Oxnard nodded as well.  Narrowing his eyes with determination, Hamtaro grabbed hold of Snoozer's sock and started dragging him off in the direction of the nearest door so they could begin their search.  Oxnard and Bijou quickly helped him, and the three made their way off further into the clubhouse, to look for their last hope, the one thing that could still give them an edge over the HamWraith, if they could only find it in time…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 

            The remaining Ham-Hams made their way down the next corridor as fast as they could.  It wasn't as fast as they would have liked, since they had to carry Snoozer with them, but they managed…they _had_ to, because they knew the HamWraith could be right behind them.  Scurrying up a ladder to the upper level, Hamtaro hefted Snoozer up to the top, "Got him!"

            The other two climbed up as well…Bijou said, "Ze upstairs is probably where zis invention is, I hope?"

            "Panda checked most of downstairs," Hamtaro pointed out, "so it's gotta be up here, at least I hope."  He gave Oxnard a hand making it up the rest of the way, then said, "All right, let's hurry…where do we look first?"

            "How about Panda's room?" Oxnard suggested.  "M-maybe he forgot to look there?"

            Bijou nodded, "Yes, sometimes we forget to look in ze most obvious places…Hamtaro, what does zis invention look like?"

            "He said it looks like a bar of metal when it's all folded up," Hamtaro recalled.  That's probably how we'll find it, because it's supposed to be pretty big when it's unfolded, and if it were that big, how could anyone miss it?"

            "All right," Bijou said, "I'll go look for it…"  She quickly started off towards the distant rooms.

            "Bijou, wait up!" Hamtaro said, following.  "We shouldn't split up, the HamWraith could be up here…"

            "But zis ladder is ze only way up to zis part of the clubhouse, _oui_?" Bijou said, pointing behind him.  Hamtaro nodded, and Bijou said, "So he cannot be up here now…"  She stopped and turned to face Hamtaro, adding, "We are safe as long as someone keeps an eye on ze ladder to make sure he does not follow…"

            The ground directly behind Bijou burst open suddenly, as the HamWraith's claws came into view, from the room directly beneath them.  Before Bijou even noticed this, it grabbed onto her legs, pulling her off her feet.  She landed on her stomach, and was stunned, the sling and rocks she was carrying falling out of her hands as the HamWraith pulled her towards the hole it just made…Bijou reflexively dug her paws into the ground to hang on, but it didn't help in the slightest…

            "_Bijou!_" Hamtaro shouted, dropping his sewing needle and diving over to grab hold of her paws.  Oxnard was frozen in place in fear, and could do nothing but stare.  Hamtaro struggled to keep Bijou from begin pulled down, but it was so strong…Bijou was pulled halfway into the ground until all he could see was her paws and her head…

            "_Hamtaro!_" she cried out as it continued to pull on her.  "Save me!!  _I don't want to die!!_"

            Hamtaro yelled, "Just hang on!" and tugged as hard as he could, bracing his feet against the floor.  For a moment, it looked as though it was going to work, and Bijou stopped her slow descent…then her expression became pained, and she screamed, as blood started to bubble up from the hole, from her unseen lower half.  This took Hamtaro by surprise, and he slipped, landing on his back and letting go of Bijou's paws.  With a loud shriek, she was pulled the rest of the way into the hole…

            Sitting back up, Hamtaro cried out, "_Bijou, NO!!_"  He couldn't believe it… _No, it's impossible,_ he thought…_Bijou…please, no, that didn't just happen, that didn't happen…_  Tears rolled out from his eyes, and he clenched them shut for a moment, then looked over at Oxnard, who was still frozen in place…

            Hamtaro leapt to his feet and ran over to him, grabbing hold of him shoulders and shaking him, "Why did you just stand there?!  You could've helped me save her!!"

            "I…I c-couldn't…" Oxnard stammered, "…I w-was…s-so…scared…"

            Hamtaro angrily turned away from him…he picked his sewing needle up and started off towards one of the rooms.  He paused for a moment to look over at the hole in the ground, with the blood soaking the ground around it, and bit his lip as tears welled up in his eyes again.  He looked away and started walking towards the other rooms…

            Oxnard watched him go, glancing in his direction, then down at Snoozer, who was still sleeping soundly through all this.  _H-how can he stay so calm…?_ he thought.  _I d-don't think I could e-ever sleep again a-after all this…  _He looked down at the push pin, still in his paws, and thought, _I let Hamtaro down…I-I could have helped…Bijou could still be okay, if I didn't stand there l-like some fool…_

            Frowning and lifting his head, Oxnard took a deep breath and thought, _Well, no way.  Not anymore.  I'm not going to be scared anymore, I can't be.  I let Hamtaro and Bijou down, and I'm not going to let it happen again.  I'm not afraid anymore…let the HamWraith come, I won't back down…_

            The claws of the HamWraith came into view abruptly from the ladder, as it pulled itself up onto this level.  Oxnard shouted, "Waaahh!" and scrambled backwards, away from it, holding up his push pin defensively, even though he was shaking even more than before.  He started to babble, "No no please don't hurt me please don't hurt me I don't wanna die please no…"

            He backed up against the wall, and the HamWraith approached him slowly, towering over him.  Oxnard glanced down at his push pin and realized that this was his one last chance to survive, and he had to take it.  With a cry, he closed his eyes and thrust the pin forward.  He was surprised to feel it strike something and opened his eyes…he had sunk the pin deeply into the HamWraith's chest.  He thought he was going to actually win, but then he noticed that the creature hadn't changed his expression, and there wasn't even any blood coming from the wound.  "But…but…" Oxnard protested.

            With a strong slash, the HamWraith swung one of its claws, the impact knocking Oxnard down onto his side.  A tremendous pain ripped across his stomach, and he screamed as loud as he could…the pain felt like it was coming from inside him, and for a crazy moment he thought it was just the worst hunger pangs he had ever felt…but he looked down through his teary eyes and saw that his stomach had been ripped open by the slash, his own entrails spilling out across the ground…whether or not he knew what he was looking at didn't matter, because the pain was far too great, and his eyes clenched shut as he gave into the darkness at last…

*          *            *

            Hamtaro heard Oxnard's scream from behind him, and knew the HamWraith was up here.  He started running, "*Badda-badda-badda-badda!!*" and didn't slow down for even a moment.  _Oh no oh no,_ he thought…_it's going to find me!  I can't get away, it's going to find me…_  Even though he knew Panda's invention would probably be his last chance of survival, he didn't want to fight anymore, he just wanted to make it out of here alive…

            The hallway ran in a circle, and he heard the heavy footsteps of the HamWraith starting down the corridor…he ran all the way around, hoping he could slip past it and make it safely downstairs.  Maybe then, he could make it out of the clubhouse and back to Laura's house, back to the safety of his cage…he wanted to get away right now, more than anything else.

            When he came back into the room with the ladder, a grisly sight awaited him as he saw what happened to Oxnard…he held his paws over his mouth to keep from gagging at the sight, and looked away quickly…his eyes settled over on Snoozer, who was still lying in his sock next to the ladder.  Hamtaro rushed over to him and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, "Snoozer, for goodness sakes, _wake up!!_  I need your help!"

            As Hamtaro was shaking him, he became aware of the fact that he wasn't snoring anymore, or even breathing for that matter.  Suddenly seized with dread, he slowly pulled Snoozer out of the sock, and dropped him in horror…he was missing from the waist down, and blood spilled out of his sock as he was removed…

            Hamtaro screamed…he couldn't take it anymore, and just ran.  He scampered back down the ladder and sped through the hallway, too scared to really concentrate on which way he was going…he just knew he had to get out of there, and instinct was unfortunately taking over.  His erratic path took him across the clubhouse as he search frantically, trying to remember where the front door was, but he couldn't even think straight…

            As he rounded the next corner, he yelped, as he stumbled onto Howdy and Dexter's bodies.  That was the final proof…he now knew that everyone was dead…everyone except for him.  And he could still hear the HamWraith's heavy footfalls in the distance, pursuing him.  He decided to take the chance and stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying to focus… _Okay, where are you?  The exit has to be this way…you can make it…_

            Turning the corner and running, he made a few turns and eventually made it back to the center room.  The exit was right there, and he found himself laughing in relief… _I'm going to make it!_ he thought…_I'm going to make it!_

            The HamWraith leapt down from the little ledge above, landing between him and the door, and Hamtaro skidded to a halt, his mouth dropping open.  Without a second thought, he raised his sewing needle, preparing to strike, but with a flick of one claw, the needle was knocked away from his hands.  He watched helplessly as it bounced across the room, stopping against a wall.  The HamWraith took its other claw and slammed it down over him…Hamtaro was pushed onto his back, pinned beneath the claws that surrounded him like a cage.  His heart raced out of control as he stared up at the monster in horror…it pulled it's other claw back, aiming for his head, and Hamtaro clenched his eyes shut, bracing himself…

            "_STOP IT!_" a voice shouted.

            Hamtaro opened one eye, and saw that the monster had not yet delivered the final blow.  It turned its head slowly to look at one of the doors.  Hamtaro blinked a few times, still unable to take his eyes off of the creature, but listened as the voice continued, "I _told_ you…_nothing_ is to happen to Hamtaro.  What were you _doing?_"

            A chill ran down Hamtaro's spine…he recognized the voice.  It couldn't be who he thought it was, though, because he knew it _couldn't _be…but still, there was no mistaking it, especially with the accent.  He slowly turned his head to follow the HamWraith's gaze, and confirmed the impossible…

            Bijou walked slowly into the room, her face set in anger, and her fur still slightly splattered with blood…but she was alive.  _But, _Hamtaro thought_…but I… I saw her die…right in front of me…what's going on?!_

            The HamWraith didn't make any threatening moves as Bijou approached it and said, "You heard me…let him go zis instant."

            The HamWraith slowly complied, lifting the claw up from around Hamtaro.  Sitting up in shock, Hamtaro was speechless for a few moments, then said, "Wh…B…Bijou…?"

            "Don't worry," Bijou said to him.  "We'll explain everything…"  Her gaze returned to the HamWraith, "…won't we?"  The monster reached up with its claws, grabbing hold of its head and tugging on it, removing it like a helmet and setting it aside.  Hamtaro felt like the world was caving in around him as he saw yet another impossibility…

            It was Cappy…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

            "But…" Hamtaro stammered, staring up at the headless form of the HamWraith, atop which sat Cappy.  He wasn't currently _wearing_ his hat, but it was definitely him, although Hamtaro couldn't understand how it _could _be.  "…but…Cappy…y-you're…"

            "Dead?" Cappy said.  He smiled, and the HamWraith he sat in made a fist with one of its claws…he said, "As you can see, I'm still very alive…"

            "H-how…why…?" Hamtaro managed to say.

            Bijou walked over, leaning onto the side of the HamWraith and said, "My, you are full of ze questions, _non?_  Well, to answer ze first…we _had _to fake Cappy's death, so zere would always be someone to operate ze HamWraith…"

            "Yeah," Cappy said, nodding.  "It was simple to just take Stan's body up there and rip it to shreds…if it were ripped up enough, it could pass for _anyone,_ even me.  There's no _way _you'd be able to tell.  Then I could come back with the HamWraith and take care of you guys at my own pace."

            Hamtaro noticed the controls sticking out in front of Cappy, and it suddenly all made sense to him…he slowly asked, "That's…that's Panda's invention…isn't it?"

            "Bingo!" Cappy said…with an evil grin, he added, "Don't worry, I don't think he'll be missing it…"

            Bijou ran a paw through the fur on the outside and said, "It took a little bit to disguise ze device so zat it looked like ze HamWraith, but I ripped up a piece of ze carpeting at my home, and it was perfect!"

            "But…you…" Hamtaro said, looking at Bijou, "I thought…you were dead…"

            "I just wanted to put on a good show," Bijou told him.  "It was mostly for Oxnard.  All we had to do was use Pashmina's body, and we had all ze blood we needed for ze effect.  It was flawless, _non?_  You two didn't suspect anything…"

            Hamtaro's head was in a whirl…he felt dizzy as all of these facts were given to him.  _Now I know how,_ he thought, _but…why?_  Cappy must have seen the lost expression on his face, because he said, "You want to know why we did it, don't you?  Why we decided that everyone had to die?"

            "Y-yes…" Hamtaro answered.  His eyes briefly crossed the room, settling on the sewing needle that had been knocked away from him, next to the wall, then looked back at them as they glanced at each other coldly.

            "Go ahead, Bijou," Cappy said, nodding to her.  "It was your idea, after all."

            "I had been planning zis for some time," Bijou explained to Hamtaro.  "It was ze whole reason I made friends with all of you in ze first place.  You have no idea how good zis feels…"  She wiped off some of the blood, Pashmina's blood, from her fur, and examined it on her paw, "…to take ze life of another…to watch it scream in pain, and suffering, and ze look of horror on its face…ze look of someone who knows zey are about to die…"

            "No…" Hamtaro said, shaking his head, "…stop it…"

            "Ze smell of blood," Bijou continued, "ze taste of fear, as zey plead and beg for you to let zem go…or to let zem die…"

            "I said, _stop it!_" Hamtaro yelled, grabbing the sides of his head.

            Cappy spoke up, "You don't want to know how good it feels?  I didn't realize either, at the time…but she's right, it's the greatest thing in the world…"

            Hamtaro lowered his paws away from the side of his head slowly, and his eyes filled with tears as Bijou said, "Oh yes, Cappy got his share of ze killings.  He even had ze honor of killing ze first one, Stan…"

            "That's right," Cappy nodded.  "When I watched as he died, right in front of me, it was…it was incredible…I knew I had done the right thing.  I had no regrets anymore, and I _still_ don't.  After faking my own death, Bijou had her own chance to use the HamWraith, with Maxwell and Sandy…"

            Hamtaro could only listen in disbelief as they told all of this to him.  "I knew about ze trap, of course," Bijou said proudly, "and it was so _perfect…_ze failure of ze trap only added to ze hopelessness felt by everyone else.  And once zey were both dead, I was back inside before anyone knew it.  Zis gave me plenty of time to prepare for Panda.  How wonderfully ironic, to watch him die by his own creation.  I took great pleasure in killing Boss after zat…his constant efforts to impress me irritated me to _no _end…"

            "We switched again once Boss was through, before you guys found him," Cappy told him.  He rubbed his paws together and said, "Bursting in the front door was easy.  Penelope was no problem, of course, and you should have _seen_ the way Pashmina was kicking and screaming when I tightened that scarf around her neck, hanging her from the ceiling.  I enjoyed it…almost as much as I enjoyed watching Dexter kill Howdy by accident, just before _I _killed _him…_"

            "He took Pashmina with him after zat," Bijou said, "to help in faking _my _death…zis gave me a chance to use ze HamWraith again, to finish off Oxnard, and Snoozer.  After zis, I let Cappy take it again, so zat I could find you on foot…but I did not expect him to chase you around everywhere."  She glared a little at Cappy, but then returned her gaze to Hamtaro, to watch his reaction to all this.

            "I didn't…think you could do something like this…" Hamtaro exclaimed.  "You especially, Bijou_…_"

            "Oh please, zis is only an _inkling_ of what I have done in ze past," Bijou claimed.

            Despite all the surprises he had already encountered, Hamtaro hadn't been prepared to hear something like _that_… "In the past…?" he asked.  "What do…you…?"

            "You may not be aware of it," Bijou said, "but I have done zis _many_ times before.  Back in France, zere were many times we moved about, from ze countryside to ze city, and back again.  Everywhere I went, I could find Ham-Hams to call my friends, to spend time with and grow close…and zey would suspect nothing each time."  She sighed contentedly, "I enjoyed watching zem die…ze screams were like music to my ears…"

            "I…" Hamtaro said, but couldn't even begin to think of what to say to this.

            Bijou continued, "I've had a _lot_ more experience zen you realize.  Zey not only never suspected a thing, but I always covered my tracks too well.  In ze rare chance of survivors, none of zem even knew it was me.  It was nothing less zen pure genius!"

            Hamtaro swallowed…he never imagined Bijou could be capable of doing this to anyone, let alone doing it in the past.  _How many innocent Ham-Hams has she killed?_ he wondered…  "Why the HamWraith?"

            "A story I heard when I got here," Bijou nodded.  "Just a myth, of course, but zis gave me ze perfect chance…I planned zis for a while, but ze plans were hurried along when I found out what Panda was building.  It made things _so _much simpler."

            "But then…why are _you_ doing it, Cappy?" Hamtaro said, looking back up at him.

            "A couple of weeks ago, I accidentally stumbled onto her plans," Cappy said.  "It interested me, so I wanted in."  He frowned, glancing back over his shoulder at the front door, "I liked you guys, to be sure, but sometimes I felt like you guys never treated me seriously…all you ever did was follow Boss.  Well, this was my chance to get even with him…to get even with _all _of you…"

            "But not you, Hamtaro," Bijou said, taking a few steps towards him and resting a hand on his shoulder.  "You see, zere was one thing different about zis clubhouse from ze other groups, and zis was you.  Never before had I felt the way I did around you…I knew I loved you, from ze moment I saw you.  Zat is why I decided, when zis was all over, to spare your life, so we may be together…"

            "Wh-what?" Hamtaro said, shrinking back a little from her.

            "Come with us," she said, staring directly into his eyes.  "We can continue moving around from place to place, meeting new Ham-Hams, making friends…and slaughtering zem, slowly…and we can do it together, never leaving each other's side…"

            Hamtaro continued to back up, "No…I-I couldn't…"

            Cappy made the HamWraith suit take a step forward, "Better think about it some more…if you say no, then you must die."

            "Please," Bijou said, "join me…don't you see?  Ze feelings I have for you is why I let you live.  I love you…and I only want you to love me back…it is ze only thing you can do, and you _know_ it is…"

            Hamtaro lowered his head, as though in defeat…he muttered, "Yes…I know what the only thing I can do is…"  In a sudden, surprising move, he sprung into action, diving towards the wall where the sewing needle was…he landed on his stomach next to it and scooped it up in one smooth move.  Rolling onto one side, he shouted, "…_THIS!_" as he hurled the needle as hard as he could.  Bijou was too awestruck by the move to react…it struck her in the shoulder, and she cried out in pain.  Cappy watched, stunned, as she staggered back a few steps, then collapsed onto her back, still gripping the needle tightly.

            He looked back up and saw that Hamtaro had already fled into one of the adjacent rooms.  Gritting his teeth in anger, he slammed the helmet-like head of the HamWraith back over the suit and charged after him.  The door had closed behind him, but he didn't care…he just ripped through it like it wasn't there.

            He looked around the room, and called, "Come on out, Hamtaro…you're not getting away from _me!_  I'll tear this place to _pieces_ to find you, if I have to…and that's only a _start _of what I'm gonna do to _you!_"  He started to knock over pieces of furniture, adding, "You can't hide forever…"  As he turned to face a table on one side of the room, Hamtaro shot out from behind a bookshelf and ran like mad into the next room.  Cappy spotted him, and took pursuit.

            Hamtaro was already down the next hall, glancing feverishly from side to side, looking for something he could do…there was no way he could hope to stand up against Cappy, not while he was driving Panda's invention around.  His eyes fell on the door to one room, and he suddenly got an idea, dashing inside…

            Cappy came down the hall and saw the open door.  _Hmm, what's he doing in my room?_ he thought.  As he approached the door, he yelled, "Dead end, Hamtaro…and I _mean _'dead'!"  He briefly sharpened the HamWraith's claws against each other and burst in past the door.

            Hamtaro was waiting for him, swinging one of the saucepans that Cappy often used as hats.  It slammed down over his head, blocking everything off so he couldn't see.  This gave Hamtaro just enough time to dart past him, and back out into the hall.  Cappy struggled angrily with the pot, eventually managing to lift it off of him, but when he turned around, he had lost track of where Hamtaro had gone.

            Charging back towards the main room, he yelled, "Go ahead and run!  But I'll get you!  You'll see!  _Do you hear me?_  _I'll get you!_"  He stopped in the main room, next to the table, and glanced over at the door leading out of the clubhouse…it was still shut, so Cappy knew he must not have left.  As he looked from side to side, he didn't notice that Hamtaro had quickly climbed up to a high corner of the ceiling, where he waited quietly as the form of the HamWraith walked slowly beneath him.  He took a deep breath and thought, _All right, this is it…I only get one shot at this, so I hope it works…_  With that, he gathered his strength and courage, and threw himself down from the ceiling, at the enemy below…

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

            Cappy was still glancing around when Hamtaro landed on him from above.  Startled by this, he started trying to shake him off, but Hamtaro clung on tightly, digging his paws into the HamWraith's 'fur'.  He was shaken up a bit, but still held tight.  _That's it,_ he thought, _now just swing your claws up here, c'mon…_  Since he wasn't able to get him loose, Cappy suddenly swung both of his claws up towards the HamWraith's head.  Hamtaro was prepared for this, and jumped off backwards.  The claws struck the head, ripping into it…as he landed on his feet, Hamtaro looked hopefully at it…if this didn't finish him off, he was out of ideas…

            The head was ripped apart a little by the claws, but then the arms reached up, lifting the top part off again.  Cappy looked uninjured…the claws must have just missed him.  He tossed the head part away angrily and turned around, "Nice try, but you can't stop me that way!"  Hamtaro was already scurrying away for cover, but now that Cappy was right behind him, he knew he wouldn't be able to make it far…

            He climbed up to the ledge in the main room as fast as he could, turning and looking down at Cappy below, who was also getting ready to climb.  Now that he had a good vantage point, and the HamWraith's head was no longer covering things up, he could see all the controls Cappy was working.  He spotted an odd button covered by a panel, with a few danger stripes painted around it, and wondered what it could possibly be…

            The claws of the suit hooked onto the ledge as it began to pull itself up.  Cappy smiled evilly and said, "Nowhere to go _now!_  You're _through!_"  They were almost face-to-face now, and he pulled one of the claws back for a swing…Hamtaro decided to take the chance, and hopped forward, landing on the edge of the controls.  Before Cappy could stop him, he flipped open the panel and smacked the button.

            At once, the suit started to shudder, and pieces of the 'fur' began to rip off.  Cappy looked startled, and Hamtaro decided this was probably a good time to get away.  He jumped backwards away from the suit, back onto the ledge, as it suddenly appeared to collapse into itself.  The arms and legs folded back up again, into the safe storage mode that Panda had designed into it…although, it wasn't designed to have a passenger while it was closing.  The claws folded into place like pincers, cutting Cappy into two with a *_CHLUNK_*.

            Hamtaro caught his breath on the ledge as he watched the now-smaller metallic object land on the floor, followed by the top half of Cappy and a spray of blood.  All was quiet and still after that, save for Hamtaro's breathing, and the sight of ripped pieces of carpeting drifting through the air and settling gently on the floor.  After a few moments, Hamtaro climbed back down cautiously, walking over and inspecting Cappy grimly.  He was dead, of course…

            With a heavy sigh, Hamtaro lowered his head.  _It's over,_ he thought, tears forming in his eyes, _just like that.  I wish everyone else didn't have to die…I miss them…_

            He heard the sound of footsteps just a moment too late.  As he swiveled towards the door to see what it was, something pierced his side…pain surged through him, and he cried out, reeling back from the blow.  His eyes were clenched shut against the pain, but he forced them open to see what just happened…

            Bijou was there, with the bloodied sewing needle in her paws…the tip of the needle was still embedded in his side, and she pulled it back out, letting him stumble off his feet, landing on his back.  He looked up at her in horror as she stood there, breathing heavily and clutching her shoulder, still covered with Pashmina's blood but with a trickle of her own running down her arm.  He only managed to say, "Bijou…?"

            "We could have made a great team," Bijou hissed angrily at him, taking a few slow steps forward as Hamtaro scrambled back to gain some distance.  She continued, "It did not have to be like zis…we could have been together, you and I…no one would have been safe!  But now…I didn't want to kill you, but you have left me no choice…"

            "Bijou, I…" Hamtaro started to say as he continued his retreat.

            "_Shut up!_" she yelled.  "You were the only one—the _only _one—zat I ever considered sparing!  But I don't care anymore…and killing you will not be enough to make me feel better, either…I will be sure to sneak in ze house where you live, before your human, Laura, wakes up…and she will die, as well..."

            "L-Laura?" Hamtaro stammered in horror.  "No…!  Leave h-her alone…"  His back stopped against the wall, and he glanced around, realizing there was nowhere for him to go now, and Bijou was almost upon him.

            Bijou shook her head, "You are in no position to be making zis demand…but I am through talking to you.  It is over…zis is the end for you…"  She grabbed the needle with both of her paws and raised it above her head, "Goodbye, my once love…"

            Hamtaro's paw dug into a little bit of the dirt on the ground next to the wall, and with no other option left, he flung it into Bijou's face.  She reeled back, dropping the needle and grabbing her face, "Aaah!"  As she tried to wipe the dirt from her eyes, Hamtaro got onto all fours and ran into her, butting into her head-first.  She was knocked from her feet, and landed sideways, giving a shriek as her shoulder hit the ground, where the earlier wound had been made.

            Wasting no time, Hamtaro grabbed the sewing needle and rushed over to her, ready to bring it down, but he hesitated.  Bijou looked up at him with teary eyes, and cried, "No…Hamtaro, d-don't do zis…please…I-I love you…"  The needle shook in his paws, and he bit his lip, as he tried to decide what to do…that's when he spotted her, sliding her paw across the ground slowly, reaching for a broken piece of wood, and knew she was going to about to attack.

            As Bijou prepared to thrust the sliver of wood in his direction, Hamtaro brought the needle down, stabbing it through her chest.  Bijou tensed up, then threw her head back and screamed.  Hamtaro clenched his eyes shut tearfully as this happened, and held it in place.  He waited until her scream finally stopped, and without opening her eyes, whispered, "I…I loved you…too…"

*          *            *

             Hamtaro took the time to go around and bury everyone…or what was left of some of them, anyway.  He decided it was the proper thing to do.  As he buried each one, he remembered them sadly, and everything they had done together in the past…tears fell from his eyes, and he slowly covered them up with dirt, finishing the arduous task.

            As he finished, he looked off at the sun, which was about to rise, and realized he needed to get back home.  He headed back, tired and listless, climbing back up the drainpipe to the house and making it up to Laura's room, where he got into his cage and sat in the center, ignoring the pain in his side from the wound Bijou had given him.  He just sat and thought about everything that happened…

            When Laura finally woke up, she was shocked to see the condition he was in…she ran to get something to bandage it with, but it was mostly dried up and had stopped bleeding anyway.  She had enough time to put a little bit of medicine on it before she had to leave for school, though.

            Hamtaro was alone for the bulk of the day, while Laura was at school.  He sighed…this was when he would usually sneak off to the others, at the clubhouse, but now there was nothing for him to do, no one for him to be with.  He didn't want to go back there anyway, not after what happened.

            He still couldn't believe it…it was almost like a bad dream, the whole thing.  Yet, every twinge of pain that he got from his wound reminded him that it all really happened.  He was still glad it was over, but he was going to miss them…he was going to miss everyone…and he felt a little better knowing that, even though everyone else was dead, his survival had saved countless other innocent Ham-Hams in the future.  It gave him some peace of mind.

*          *            *

            "Dear Diary," Laura said aloud as she wrote, sitting at her desk.  "The strangest thing happened today…Kana said that when she woke up this morning, the cage where she keeps Oxnard was empty, and he wasn't anywhere to be found.  She wasn't the only one, either…a bunch of people at school were missing _their_ hamsters too.  Not me, though…Hamtaro was in his cage when I woke up, but the way I found him…I still can't figure out what happened.  I wish he could talk, so he could just tell me…the poor little guy…"

            She looked over at Hamtaro's cage, on the corner of the desk.  Hamtaro was still alone in his thoughts…_ Bijou_…_you were such a good friend…I still can't believe you'd do a thing like this…but I'll try to remember you the way you were before…even with everything that happened, you'll still have a place in my heart…_

THE END 


End file.
